The Albertina is a museum in the Innere Stadt (First District) of Vienna, Austria. The Albertina was erected on one of the last remaining sections of the fortifications of Vienna, the Augustian Bastion. Originally, the Hofbauamt (Court Construction Office), which had been built in the second half of the 17th century, stood in that location. In 1744 it was refurbished by the director of the Hofbauamt, Emanuel Teles Count Silva-Tarouca , to become his palace. It was therefore also known as Palais Taroucca. The building was later taken over by Duke Albert of Saxen-Teschen. He used it as his residence and later brought his graphics collection there from Brussels, where he had acted as the governor of the Habsburg Netherlands. He had the building extended by Louis Montoyer. Since then, the palace has immediately bordered the Hofburg. The collection was expanded by Albert's successors.

The collection was created by Duke Albert with the Genoese count Giacomo Durazzo (Austrian ambassador in Venice). In 1776 the count presented nearly 1,000 pieces of art to Duke Albert and his wife Maria Christina (Maria Theresia's daughter). Count Giacomo Durazzo – brother of Marcello Durazzo (Doge of Genoa) – "wanted to create a collection for posterity that served higher purposes than all others: education and the power of morality should distinguish his collection...." In the 1820s Archduke Charles, the foster son of Duke Albert and Maria Christina, initiated further modifications of the building by Joseph Kornhäusel, which affected mostly the interior decoration. After Archduke Charles, his son Archduke Albrecht and then Albrecht's nephew Archduke Friedrich, Duke of Teschen lived in the building.In early 1919 ownership of both the building and the collection passed from the Habsburgs to the newly founded Republic of Austria. In 1920 the collection of prints and drawings was united with the collection of the former imperial court library. The name Albertina was established in 1921.

In March 1945 the Albertina was heavily damaged by Allied bomb attacks. The building was rebuilt in the years after the war and was completely refurbished and modernized from 1998 to 2003. Modifications of the exterior entrance sequence, including a signature roof by Hans Hollein were made until 2008, when also the graphics collection finally reopened. (Wikipédia)

Anif Palace (German: Schloss Anif), also known as the Water Palace Anif, is located beside an artificial pond in Anif on the southern edge of Salzburg, Austria.[1] The palace was once the seat of the bishops of Chiemsee, and then later was used as a court until the nineteenth century. It was remodeled between 1838 and 1848 in the neo-Gothic style. Anif is most famous for its use in several movies, including The Sound of Music and Frederick Forsyth's The Odessa File. Its origins cannot be exactly dated but there is a document from around 1520 showing that a palace called Oberweiher existing at this location. Its owner was the dominion directory bailiff Lienhart Praunecker.From 1530 the water palace is mentioned regularly as a fief given by the respective Archbishop of Salzburg. In this way it was given to the bishops of Chiemsee after a restoration by Johann Ernst von Thun in 1693; from then on, the bishops used it as a summer residence.When Salzburg fell to Austria in 1806, the palace and the pond came into public ownership. Although the palace was leased from that point on, the respective users did not undertake any rebuilding or restoring measures worth mentioning.This changed when the property was sold to Alois Count Arco-Stepperg in 1837. He rebuilt Anif Palace between 1838 and 1848 in new Gothic romanticizing style, and gave it its present-day look. Up to that time, the palace had simply consisted of a plain, four-story dwelling and a two-story connecting building to a chapel.

After the death of the Count in 1891 the property fell to his nearest female relative, Sophie, who was married to the Count Ernst von Moy de Sons; the palace therefore ended up in the hands of his old French noble family.In 1918, the palace attracted public attention when King Ludwig III of Bavaria and his family and entourage fled to escape the November Revolution. With the Declaration of Anif on the 12/13 November 1918, Ludwig III refused to abdicate; however, he freed all Bavarian government officials, soldiers and officers from their oath because he was not able to continue the government. During World War II the German Wehrmacht units were accommodated in the palace, followed by American units in 1945.(Wikipédia)

Ambras Castle (German: Schloss Ambras) is a Renaissance castle and palace located in the hills above Innsbruck, Austria. Considered one of the most popular tourist attractions of the city, Ambras Castle was built in the sixteenth century on the spot of an earlier tenth-century castle, which became the seat of power for the Counts of Andechs. The cultural and historical importance of the castle is closely connected with Archduke Ferdinand II and served as his residence from 1563 to 1595.

The Lower Castle contains two rooms of jousting armour from the late fifteenth century, including several suits made for Archduke Ferdinand himself. The Lower Castle's first floor contains a valuable art collection. Above the Lower Castle is the Spanish Hall (Spanische Saal), a notable example of German Renaissance architecture, which contains an intricate wood-inlay ceiling and walls adorned with 27 full-length portraits of the rulers of Tyrol. The Upper Castle contains an extensive portrait gallery featuring paintings of numerous members of the House of Habsburg. (Wikipédia)

MAMUZ Schloss Asparn/Zaya gives visitors the opportunity to really experience 40,000 years of history. The exhibition invites visitors of all ages to experience history at interactive stations – seeing, for example, how tricky it is to make a copy of a longhouse in miniature form.

Just by looking at the setup and design of the building, visitors can already see that MAMUZ Schloss Asparn/Zaya contains a highly varied and fascinating history of the human race. The exhibition and the open-air site alone leave room for imagination. In addition, the museum also hosts events to give visitors the opportunity to celebrate alongside the Celts and Huns. With historical handcraft, hardworking people are asked to get an idea of how a bow is made or iron is smelted.(mamuz.a)

The Belvedere’s two magnificent palaces, the Upper and Lower Belvedere, were built in the 18th century as the summer residence for the important general Prince Eugene of Savoy (1663-1736). He chose one of the most outstanding Baroque architects Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt (1668-1745). The palaces with their extensive gardens are considered to be one of the world’s finest Baroque landmarks. Momentous events have taken place in the Upper Belvedere’s Marble Hall and from here there is a spectacular view of Vienna. (www.belvedere.at )

In 860 the whole region was part of the archbishopric of Salzburg. Erimbert, a liege of the archbishopric, handed over the Pinka to one Jacobus. The village name Rettenbach was not mentioned yet, but the old Slavic name of the nearby hamlet Grodnau (meaning "the village belonging to the castle") is a sign of the existence of a nearby castle, identifiable with castle Bernstein.

Since 1199 the castle was part of Hungary. It is not exactly known when the castle was handed over to Frederick II, Duke of Austria, and how long it was his property; but in 1236 Béla IV of Hungary conquered the castle. Some years later (in 1260) he gave it to count Henry II of Güssing.

In 1336 the counts of Güssing and Bernstein were defeated by the Hungarian King Charles Robert of Anjou, and the castle of Bernstein became part of the Hungarian Kingdom. In 1388 the castle was given to the Kanizsai family. In 1482 it became property of Matthias Corvinus of Hungary for a short time; in 1487 Hans von Königsberg received the castle from Emperor Frederick III.

In 1529 the Turks besieged the castle, but they were not able to capture it. Another unsuccessful siege by the Turks followed in 1532. On that occasion the ring of bastions was erected in order to change the castle into a refuge.

In 1604 castle Bernstein was unsuccessfully besieged for weeks by a combined army consisting of Hungarians, Turks, and Tatars under the leadership of Stephen Bocskay. Due to an explosion of the gunpowder storeroom, in 1617 Ludwig Königsberg ordered the rebuilding of the Gothic inner part of the castle in Baroque style. The keep and towers were eliminated. A short time later (1644) Ehrenreich Christoph Königsberg sold the sovereignty and the castle to Count Ádám Batthyány. In 1864 Gustav Batthyány sell the castle to his manciple Edward O'Egan, whose heirs finally sold the castle to Eduard von Almásy. His family currently owns the castle. In 1953 a part of the castle was turned into a hotel. (Wiki)

The beautiful Cumberland Castle, which is built in the Tudor style, situated on a small hill, adorned with a park, for walks inviting promenade, above the natural gem Krottensee. It was built by order of Duke Ernst August of Cumberland in 1882 until 1886. Currently, there are social institutions in the castle.

Castle Deutschkreutz was built in 1625 by Graf Paul Nàdàsdy and is located in the Burgenland 5 km from the Hungarian border.

It has four wings, with two floors around a rectangle shaped court and four low corner towers. The castle also used to be surrounded by a moat. One of the towers is home to a beautiful chapel.

Some of the impressive ornaments are still there today, and give an idea of the great architecture of the 17th century. There used to be an imposing festival hall in front of the castle, but it had to be removed in 1952 because of dilapidation.After the decapitation of count Franz Nàdàsdy in 1676, it lost a lot of its cultural importance under its new owner count Esterhazy and was soon only used as a ranch.Since 1971, it has been protected as an historical sight by the Haager convention. (www.schlossdeutschkreutz.at)

In 1455 the manor was mentioned in the documents. In 1890, became the property of Maria Theresia Princess of Thurn und Taxis. Then rebuilt. In 2003, the Gschösser and Ebenbichler (Tyrol), the family purchased and renovated the castle. Lived in the castle in 1893, the Swedish poet August Strindberg with his family. The castle architecture in the Neo-Baroque and neo-Renaissance style mixed units.

The castle was used as a summer residence of the Batthyány family. In 1804, the castle was built in the neoclassical Draskovich style. chapel is Gothic triptych made ​​in 1469. Currently not open.Nearby is the landscape of outstanding castle. The Castle Museum exhibition showing the history of 400 years.

Esterházy Palace in Eisenstadt is one of the most beautiful baroque palaces in Austria and presents a fascinating view of the resplendent life once lived at the court of the Princes Esterházy. But the palace is still the hub of the cultural scene today and regularly provides the picturesque backdrop for festivities and social events. (http://esterhazy.at/en)

The most important seat of the Esterházys was Eisenstadt (Hungarian: Kismarton), since the heads of the family chose to make a castle in this tiny village their primary residence. A fortified stronghold had been built there in the 14th century; after the Esterházys acquired it they rebuilt it 1663–1672 to what is now the princely Schloss Esterházy. Their practical reason for choosing to create and maintain the princely court at Eisenstadt may have been that while the region was in Hungary, it had been mainly settled by Germans, and was situated rather close to the Habsburgs' Imperial residence, Vienna. (The region remained part of Hungary until 1921, when it was handed over to Austria according to the Treaty of Saint-Germain, 1919, and the Treaty of Trianon, 1920.)(Wikipédia)

ArchitectureEggenberg Palace is a unique synthesis of the arts dating back to the early Baroque period where architecture and design combine to create a complex symbolist representation of the universe, the cosmos of an educated statesman. The residence of Imperial Governor Hans Ulrich von Eggenberg is political architecture established to express the powerful legitimation of the rule of a family. In 1625 Prince Hans Ulrich von Eggenberg selected the exact same place chosen as the site of the family seat by his great-grandfather, Balthasar Eggenberger, one and a half centuries earlier for the construction of the new residence. Parts of the previous medieval castle were, however, kept and incorporated into the newly constructed Baroque four-winged palace. The central tower with its gothic chapel even became the very core of the new palace. Traces of this medieval structure are still being discovered today. (http://www.museum-joanneum.at/en)

The first written mention of Eckartsau can be found in the 11th Century in a deed of gift to the monastery of Klosterneuburg. At the time, Eckartsau was a four-sided castle surrounded by a moat.

The Manor of Eckartsauer increased its possessions and acquired land to the east and west, as well as castles, markets and rights. In the 16th and 17th century the Lords of Eckertsau changed frequently.

Today's magnificent appearance of the castle is mainly due to Count Franz Ferdinand von Kinsky. The Bohemian chancellor bought the property in 1720 together with the Manor of Eckartsau and had the medieval fortress converted and expanded into a Baroque hunting lodge. First-class artists such as Fischer von Erlach, Daniel Gran and Lorenzo Mattielli were instrumental in the extensive redesign.

In 1760, Franz Stephan von Lothringen, the husband of Empress Maria Theresa, purchased the castle. Among the most prominent later owners were Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the last Emperor and Empress of Austria Karl I and Zita, who spent their last days in Austria in the castle before their departure into exile.

After 1945, Österreichische Bundesforste took over the management of Schloss Eckartsau. They have worked in the last few decades on the restoration of the castle which was to some extent in a dilapidated state, so that it now shines again in its old glory. (schlosseckartsau.at)

The castle was built between 1670 and 1680 Baron Friedrich Carl Renaissance style. Special facade of the castle and the surrounding coal mines silver mining slag material built up. One of the prides of the interior of the baroque chapel. The building was reconstructed in 1989.

Neu-Ems Castle (German: Burg Neu-Ems or Schloss Glopper) is a medieval castle in Hohenems in the province of Vorarlberg, Austria. It was the fortification of the nobility Herren von Ems (Lords of Ems). Approved by Emperor Louis IV the Bavarian, Ritter Ulrich I. von Ems (Knight Ulrich I of Ems) in 1343 built a new castle to have a comfortable home for his large family in dangerous times. He placed it near his fortress Alt-Ems on a hilltop.During the Appenzell Wars in 1407 the castle was destroyed and rebuilt shortly afterwards.In 1603 a chapel was assembled to the ground floor. Except two lancet windows in the northern wall there is nothing left over of it today. Since 1835 the former winged altar of this chapel is exhibited in the Tyrolean State Museum in Innsbruck.Since 1843 the stronghold is privately owned by the family Waldburg-Zeil.(Wikipédia)

The Renaissance castle of Greillenstein was built in the 16th century and for a long time was used for administrative purposes. It has survived the course of the centuries almost unscathed and is now privately owned. Greillenstein Castle has a lot to offer: Renaissance baths, a dungeon, a park and the dwarves' garden with an interesting collection of sandstone dwarves. The famous courtroom, chapel, library and Turks' Hall can only be seen as part of a guided tour. The spookier side of castle life can be experienced on one of the candlelit evening ghost tours. (waldviertel.at)

1488-1493 Under the later Reichsfreiherr (Baron whose title has been confirmed upon him by the German king) of Stettenberg and Earls of Hardegg, Heinrich and Siegmund Prüschenk, the Castle of Greinburg was erected between 1488 and 1493 as one of the first castles in the German- speaking region.1533 In 1533 the Imperial Counsel, Burgvogt (Governor of a castle) of Enns and Landvogt (Governor of a territory) of Swabia, Johann Leble (Löbl), acquired the Castle. Under Leble (Löbl) the building received most of its present- day form. In 1621 the Castle of Greinburg was sold to the Earl Leonhard Helfrich of Meggau, who carried out basic changes. A three storeyed, columned arcade became the main feature for the appearance of the inner courtyard. Furthermore, under Meggau the Sala terrena (so-called stone theatre) was installed. In 1625 the "Rittersaal", the Hall of Knights, and an adjoining chapel in the south west tower were redecorated. Anna of Meggau brought Castle and dominion of Grein into her marriage with her husband, Earl Ludwig Sigmund of Dietrichstein.1700 Since 1700 the owner of Greinburg was Earl Oktavian Karl of Carioni, who sold the Castle to Franz Ferdinand of Salburg and Prandegg in 1709. In 1810 the family of Dietrichstein became once again the owners of Greinburg, however they sold the estate in 1811 to Josef Fink, the Mayor of Hainburg.Large coat of arms of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha since 1822The Dukes of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha have been owners of the Castle only since 1822. In 1822 Duke Ernst III of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, who in 1826 became Ernst I. of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, also acquired the dominions of Aich, Prandegg, Kreutzen, Ruttenstein and Zollhof together with the dominion of Grein. The son of Ernst I., Herzog Ernst II., was proprietor of the Castle of Greinburg from 1844 until 1893. After his death in 1893 Queen Victoria of England was also briefly the owner of Greinburg. Until this day the Castle has been inhabited by the ducal family. The Castle of Greinburg was chosen, for instance, by the Duchess Viktoria Adelheid as her summer residence. Her son, Prince Friedrich Josias, lived there permanently until his death.The building, which comprises four wings, houses the Coburg Rooms, which are the official rooms of the ducal family, as well as the Upper Austrian shipping museum. (schloss-greinburg.at)

Halbturn (Hungarian: Féltorony) is a town in the district of Neusiedl am See in the Austrian state of Burgenland. It borders Hungary to the east and is near Andau, Gols, and Mönchof. Halbturn Castle was built between 1701 and 1711 by Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt as a hunting lodge for Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor. His daughter, Empress Maria Theresa, had it enlarged and gave it to her daughter Maria Christina, Duchess of Teschen. In 1955 it was inherited by Baron Paul Waldbott von Bassenheim, a Hapsburg matrilineal descendant. In 2008 it passed to his nephew, Count Markus Königsegg.(Wiki)

Hellbrunn Palace (German: Schloss Hellbrunn) is an early Baroque villa of palatial size, near Morzg, a southern district of the city of Salzburg, Austria. It was built in 1613-19 by Markus Sittikus von Hohenems, Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg, and named for the "clear spring" that supplied it. Hellbrunn was only meant for use as a day residence in summer, as the Archbishop usually returned to Salzburg in the evening, therefore, there is no bedroom in Hellbrunn.

The schloss is also famous for its jeux d'eau ("watergames") in the grounds, which are a popular tourist attraction in the summer months. These games were conceived by Markus Sittikus, a man with a keen sense of humour, as a series of practical jokes to be performed on guests. Notable features include stone seats around a stone dining table through which a water conduit sprays water into the seat of the guests when the mechanism is activated, and hidden fountains that surprise and spray guests while they take part on the tour. Other features are a mechanical, water-operated and music-playing theatre built in 1750 showing various professions at work, a grotto and a crown being pushed up and down by a jet of water, symbolising the rise and fall of power. At all of these games there is always a spot which is never wet: that where the Archbishop stood or sat, to which there is no water conduit and which is today occupied by the tour guide.

Hellbrunn stands in a large park with a neighboring zoo, a stone theater and a small building known as the Monatschlössl, or the "little month-palace",as it was built during the period of one month after a visitor commented to Sittikus that a building on the hill would improve the view from one of the schloss' windows. The archbishop took heed of his advice, and when the visitor returned a month later the Monatschlössl was built. It now houses the ethnographical section of the Carolina Augusteum Museum of Salzburg.

The Castle of Hellbrunn CoinThe castle is so popular and famous that it was the subject of a collectors coin: the Austrian 10 euro Castle of Hellbrunn Coin, minted on April 21, 2004. The obverse depicts the main access to the castle from its forecourt. In the background there are mountains of Salzburg on the northern rim of the alpine chain.

Herberstein Castle sits on a boulder in the Feistritz ravine and thus is not accessible from 3 sides. At the same time, the castle is not visible from out of the ravine and was thus naturally protected from attackers.The oldest parts of the caste situated near the zoo stems from the 12th century. The first small castle called 'Herwigstein' (named after Herwig of Krottendorf) stood under the fiefdom of the Stubenberg Clan. Otto von Hartenberg could free the castle by a payment to the Stubenbergs and is considered to be the ancestor of Herberstein Castle since then.By 1400 the castle was expanded by a massive outer bailey, which included the previously built Gothic chapel of St. Catherine. The bailey was extended in the 15th century a number times. Mid-16th century, the castle was transformed into a residential building with Renaissance elements and expanded to accommodate the numerous offspring. In the 17th century the magnificent banqueting hall was built, the deep moat was built on. Mid-17th century the 'Florentinerhof' was constructed after an Italian model and by the end of the century St. George's Chapel, the gardeners home and the 'Maierhof' were completed.In the 17th and 18th century about one-fifth of Styria was possessed by Counts of Herberstein. Some 1,000 farms were tributary to the castle. The castle is still owned by the Herberstein family and serves as a residential and administrative center.Admission to the castle includes guided tours of part of the castle, access to the historic gardens, the zoo, and the Gironcoli Museum, which features works by contemporary Austrian artist Bruno Gironcoli.ZooThe keeping of wild animals has a long tradition in Herberstein. It can be tracked back to the 17th century, the first time fallow deer were kept in Austria. At the end of 1960 Herberstein was converted into a zoo where visitors could see animals from all five continents. At that time the castle was opened to the public for the first time, too. Today the zoo is very well designed and has the largest cheetah park in Europe. It includes a remodeled ski-lift, forcing the cheetah to catch their food, which is hauled by the ski-lift at fast pace. (forrás: Wiki)

Schloss Hof is a palace located in Austria near the border of Slovakia. It once belonged to Prince Eugene of Savoy who purchased it late in his life in 1726, He had it enlarged in the Baroque style by the architect Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt in 1729, and used it as an elaborate hunting lodge. He left it to a niece in his will, and it was later purchased by Empress Maria Theresa of Austria and became part of the imperial estates.

The Castle of Schloss Hof is so popular and famous that it was the main motive of one of the most famous silver collectors coins: the The Castle of Schlosshof coin. This coin was issued honouring the castle with the obverse side showing a view of the castle from the terraced garden side.(Wiki)

Hofburg Palace is a palace located in Vienna, Austria, that has housed some of the most powerful people in European and Austrian history, including the Habsburg dynasty, rulers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It currently serves as the official residence of the President of Austria. It was the Habsburgs' principal winter residence, as the Schönbrunn Palace was their preferred summer residence.

The Hofburg area has been the documented seat of government since 1279 for various empires and republics. The Hofburg has been expanded over the centuries to include various residences (with the Amalienburg), the Imperial Chapel (Hofkapelle or Burgkapelle), the Naturhistorisches Museum and Kunsthistorisches Museum, the Austrian National Library (Hofbibliothek), the Imperial Treasury (Schatzkammer), the Burgtheater, the Spanish Riding School (Hofreitschule), the Imperial Horse Stables (Stallburg and Hofstallungen), and the Hofburg Congress Center.

The Hofburg faces the Heldenplatz ordered under the reign of Emperor Francis Joseph, as part of what was to become a Kaiserforum that was never completed.

Numerous architects have executed work at the Hofburg as it expanded, notably the Italian architect-engineer Filiberto Luchese (the Leopoldischiner Trakt), Lodovico Burnacini and Martino and Domenico Carlone, the Baroque architects Lukas von Hildebrandt and Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach (the Reichschancelry Wing and the Winter Riding School), Johann Fischer von Erlach (the library), and the architects of the grandiose Neue Burg built between 1881 and 1913.(Wikipédia)

Hohenwerfen Castle (German: Burg Hohenwerfen) stands high above the Austrian town of Werfen in the Salzach valley, approximately 40 km (25 mi) south of Salzburg. The castle is surrounded by the Berchtesgaden Alps and the adjacent Tennengebirge mountain range. The fortification is a "sister" of Hohensalzburg Castle both dated from the 11th century.History

The former fortification was built between 1075 and 1078 during the Imperial Investiture Controversy by the order of Archbishop Gebhard of Salzburg as a strategic bulwark atop a 155 m (509 ft) high rock. Gebhard, an ally of Pope Gregory VII and antiking Rudolf of Rheinfelden, had three major castles extended to secure the Salzburg archbishopric against the forces of King Henry IV: Hohenwerfen, Hohensalzburg and Petersberg Castle at Friesach in Carinthia. Nevertheless Gebhard was expelled in 1077 and could not return to Salzburg until 1086, only to die at Hohenwerfen two years later.

In the following centuries Hohenwerfen served Salzburg's rulers, the prince-archbishops, not only as a military base but also as a residence and hunting retreat. The fortress was extended in the 12th century and to a lesser extent again in the 16th century during the German Peasants' War, when in 1525 and 1526 riotous farmers and miners from the south of Salzburg moved towards the city, laying fire and severely damaging the castle.Shot from the castle, overlooking the gardens.Alternatively it was used as a state prison and therefore had a somewhat sinister reputation. Its prison walls have witnessed the tragic fate of many 'criminals' who spent their days there - maybe their last - under inhumane conditions, and, periodically, various highly ranked noblemen have also been imprisoned there including rulers such as Archbishop Adalbert III, arrested by his own ministeriales in 1198, Count Albert of Friesach (in 1253), the Styrian governor Siegmund von Dietrichstein, captured by insurgent peasants in 1525, and Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich Raitenau, who died here in 1617 after six years of imprisonment.

In 1931 the fortress, since 1898 owned by Archduke Eugen of Austria was again damaged by a fire and, though largely restored, finally had to be sold to the Salzburg Reichsgau administration in 1938. After World War II it was used as a training camp by the Austrian Gendarmerie (rural police) until 1987.Nowadays the bastion, enlarged and renovated several times over the centuries, functions as an adventure castle for its visitors. Among the numerous attractions offered by the fortress are guided tours showing its extensive weapons collection, the historical Salzburg Falconry with the falconry museum as well as a fortress tavern. The historic Falconry Centre is a special attraction, offering daily flight demonstrations by various birds of prey.

The little town of Bad Ischl in Upper Austria, the former summer capital of the great Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, has been associated with the Habsburg imperial dynasty for at least 700 years. The Imperial Villa in Ischl, the Emperor's summer residence, was described by Franz Josef I as "heaven on earth" for himself and his family.

img_2441The Villa was originally a wedding present from his mother, Archduchess Sophie, on the occasion of his marriage in 1854 to his teenage Bavarian cousin Elisabeth. Their engagement had taken place in Ischl the previous year. “Sisi”, as she was known to the family, became renowned as Elisabeth, Empress of Austria, the most famous beauty of the 19th century, and still fascinates a world-wide public. Franz Josef built a personal Cottage for her in the Imperial Park in English 16th-century “Elizabethan” style. The Villa and its estate are still redolent with memories of Elisabeth.

The Imperial Villa was also a stage on which the great powers of the 19th century carried out their diplomatic manoeuvrings. It was here, on 28 July 1914, that Franz Josef signed the declaration of war on Serbia that was to escalate into two global conflicts and change the world.

Still a haven of peace and tranquillity, and still occupied by the Habsburg descendants of Franz Josef and Elisabeth, the Imperial Villa retains the ambience of a bygone age in the 19th century, and its association with great people and events. It does not take much imagination to visualise the crowned heads and major statesmen of the world who were received here, or the world-famous composers, writers and artists who flocked to Ischl in the wake of the Emperor’s court during the decades of that glorious Indian summer of imperial Austria around the year 1900. This website tells the story.( kaiservilla.at)

The new Castle (Schloss Kittsee) was built in 1668 by expanding the Grange. Since 1974 it houses an ethnographic museum.Here lived the 'poor doctor' and köpcsényi hospital founder László Batthyány Strattmann.(forrás: Wiki)

The origins of Burg Kreuzenstein, like most castles in Lower Austria, date back to the 12th century. Originally built by the Counts of Formbach (now Vornbach, Bavaria), the castle passed into the possession of the Counts of Wasserburg through marriage. Through Ottokar II of Bohemia, the castle came into the possession of the Habsburgs, in 1278.In July 1527, the Anabaptist preacher Balthasar Hubmaier was arrested under the pretext of causing riots in Mikulov, Moravia and transferred to Burg Kreuzenstein. He was interrogated there but refused to renounce hisbeliefs and was burned at the stake in Vienna.Until the Thirty Years War, the castle had never been conquered but then it fell into the hands of the Swedish Field Marshall Lennart Torstensson, who, on his departure in 1645, blew up three parts of the building (some sources say four).The reconstruction under the Counts of WilczekInterior of Burg Kreuzenstein by Austrian artist Franz Poledne (1873 - 1932)In the 18th century, the castle came into the possession of the Counts of Wilczek who had amassed a large fortune through their coal mines in Silesia. In 1874, Count Johann Nepomuk Wilczek, best known as a polar explorer, began reconstruction of the castle but in a style entirely different from the original Romanesque-Gothic architecture. The existing ruins were incorporated into the new castle, in particular, parts of the outer wall, the east tower and parts of the chapel. The practised eye can easily distinguish between the surviving medieval masonry and the 19th century additions.The reconstruction was overseen by architect Carl Gangolf Kayser until his death in 1895, at which time it was taken over by Ritter Humbert Walcher of Molthein and the artist Egon Rheinberger.A family vault was built under the castle and Johann Wilczek is interred there. As well as building the castle from the original masonry and on the original site, Wilczek gathered building components from all over Europe. Additionally, the castle was equipped with a large collection of medieval furnishings and historical artefacts, including one of the oldest surviving medieval catapults, purchased from Hohensalzburg Castle.The reconstruction work lasted for thirty years and Kaiser Wilhelm II was present at the reopening on June 6, 1906. A fire caused by a lightening strike in 1915, burned part of the archives and library wing.

Burg Kreuzenstein todayThough now in the collection of the Austrian National Library, the conflict between the German Wehrmacht and the Red Army in 1945 resulted in the theft of several manuscripts, and some rooms of the castle were extensively damaged during the war (World War II).Today the castle is a much-loved tourist destination and museum in the surrounding countryside of Vienna. At one time, a classical concert known as the Burgserenade was held in the great hall of the castle, at the end of June each year. This has been discontinued. From time to time, a falconry show, known as Adlerwarte Kreuzenstein is held on the estate. The recently renovated Burgtaverne Kreuzenstein is a restaurant, furnished to provide the atmosphere of a medieval tavern.In 2013, Kreuzenstein Castle became the titular home of the Lazarus Union Knighthood of Honour.Currently, the owner of the castle (and holder of the title) is Hans-Christian Count Wilczek.

Lamberg Castle first appeared in historical documents as "Stirapurhc" in 980. The remains of the former fortress can only be seen in fragments of the mighty bailey. In the 11th century the Castle was the residence of the Otokar Dynasty. In 1727 the whole structure was destroyed by a great fire. As a result the Castle was completely rebuilt in lavish Baroque style by the Counts of Lamberg. The Lamberg Castle Library and the precious sandstone figures can be admired in the castle´s inner courtyard.( steyr.info)

Laxenburg is situated about 15 km south of Vienna. The historical importance of the village “Lachsendorf” has its roots in the 13th century and it was already in 1388 under the reign of duke Albrecht III that Laxenburg became a “Marktgemeinde” (a special kind of village in Austria). Even in these days, thanks to the vicinity of Schönbrunn castle, Laxenburg was the preferred residence during spring and summer of the imperial family.It was not only the castle that grew but also the village of Laxenburg. The emperor and his court were among the guests and brought aristocracy and high society to Laxenburg. Courtly life reached its peak in the 18th century, at the time of Maria Theresia: performances of the Vienna “Hofburgtheater”, entertainment and show tournaments determined social life.

The castle grounds are without any doubt the heart of Laxenburg. Laxenburg castle is one of the most impressing in castles in Europe. Its castle grounds are considered to be a showpiece as far as it concerns the horticulture of the 18th/19th century. It was Maria Theresia together with her grand-son, emperor Franz who were responsible for the expansion of the park to 280 hectares. The gardens are decorated in a lovely and fanciful way. In addition to the “blue court” (“Blauer Hof”) there is a high number of buildings of joy, mystical grottos, temples and the medieval tournament site.

The best-known building is certainly the “Franzensburg” (a castle) which was built in the period from 1799 to 1801 and which was completed in 1835. It was emperor Franz II who was responsible for the construction of this reproduction of a medieval knights castle on an artificial island in the middle of the castles pond.The equipment of these premises is considered to be the Austrian treasure-house. Today one finds a museum there which can be visited.After her splendid wedding with emperor Franz Joseph, empress Sisi spent her honeymoon in Laxenburg. She loved endless riding-outs through Laxenburgs woods. It was also in Laxenburg castle where her son crown prince Rudolph was born. (schloss-laxenburg.at)

Schloss Leopoldskron was commissioned as a family estate in 1736 by the Prince Archbishop of Salzburg, Leopold Anton Freiherr von Firmian (1679-1744). The Scottish Benedictine monk, Bernhard Stuart, is regarded as Leopoldskron's master builder. In addition, Johann Kleber's stucco work on the ceilings throughout the Schloss is described as “the best example of rococo stucco the land can offer”.

Leopold Firmian was a great lover of science and the arts, but is most remembered for his role in the expulsion of more than 22,000 Protestants from the Archbishopric of Salzburg. Leopold’s harsh actions were noticed all over Europe and both Salzburg’s economy and the reputation of the Firmian family suffered severely as a result. The commission of Schloss Leopoldskron was, in part, an attempt by the Archbishop to rescue the social standing of his family.

A special law made the property a private possession of the family. In May 1744, Leopold deeded the completed Schloss over to his nephew, Count Laktanz Firmian. After his death later in the same year, the Archbishop’s body was buried in Salzburg’s cathedral, but his heart remains below the Chapel in the Schloss, which, as is inscribed on the chapel floor, he “loved so dearly.”

Count Laktanz, a collector of art and an artist himself, enriched Schloss Leopoldskron with the largest collection of paintings Salzburg had ever known, including works of artists such as Rembrandt, Rubens, Dürer, and Titian. The Count was one of the first sponsors of Leopold Mozart and his son, Wolfgang Amadeus.

When Laktanz died in 1786, his son started selling the famous paintings and Leopoldskron experienced a time of decline. In 1837, when it was sold to George Zierer, owner of a local shooting gallery, the collections were dismantled and removed most of the remaining valuable paintings, etchings, and sculptures were removed. During the 19th century the Schloss passed through various hands, among them Bavarian King Ludwig I and Carl Spängler, a well-known banker and two waiters who attempted to turn it into a hotel.(schloss-leopoldskron.com)

The most important objects relating to the art and cultural history of Upper Austria are shown in the renaissance building of the Linz Castle. Special focal points are collections of Gothic art and paintings from the 19th century, objects from the popular culture of Upper Austria, e.g. lovely traditional costumes and golden hats typical for the province, collection of arms and armors and the mintage cabinet. The permanent exhibition in the basement leads you back to the roots of Upper Austria, from the prehistory to the Romans and the Middle Ages.In addition the castle museum offers regularly big special exhibitions about cultural, artistic and natural science. (linz.at)

The name is originally Lützelburg means and small castle; Illustrations from the 17th Century show a handsome plant, which end of the 19th Century. was finally forfeited in its entirety. The new building in the style of historicism, dates from around 1900. The bridge to the island was buildt 1917th Island and the castle is privately owned and not open to the public!(oberoesterreich.at)

The begining of the castle history goes back to the 12th century.Todays form was built by Prince Liechtenstein, but the John the son of the Prince Emanuel renovated it in the end of the 18th century which created the form too. Currently the owner is the Piatti family. The castle has a romantic park and viewed the family china and also some decorative items are presented in the museum of the castle. The castle is located about 60kms of Vienna.

Maria Loretto castle was built in 1652. The original castle building burned down in 1708. The new building was built in the 18th century simple. Many time ago it was an island, but today it is accessible by land. At the end of 2002 the city of Klagenfurt bought the castle from the Orsini-Rosenberg family. Also we can see the wonderful black Madonna of Loretto, which is located in the chapel on the peninsula.

Mirabell Palace (German: Schloss Mirabell) is a historical building in the city of Salzburg, Austria. The palace with its gardens is a listed cultural heritage monument and part of the Historic Centre of the City of Salzburg UNESCO World Heritage Site.It was built about 1606 outside the medieval walls of Salzburg according to Italian and French models, at the behest of Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich Raitenau as a residence for his mistress Salome Alt. When Raitenau was deposed and arrested in 1612, Alt and her family were expelled and the palace received its current name from Italian: mirabile, bella: "amazing", "wonderful". It was rebuilt in a lavish Baroque style from 1710, according to plans designed by Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt. On 1 June 1815 the later King Otto of Greece was born here, while his father, the Wittelsbach crown prince Ludwig I of Bavaria served as stadtholder in the former Electorate of Salzburg. The current Neoclasical appearance dates from about 1818, when the place was restored after a blaze.

In its geometrically-arranged gardens are mythology-themed statues dating from 1730 and four groups of sculpture (Eneas, Hercules, Paris and Pluton) by the Italian sculptor Ottavio Mosto, from 1690. It is noted for its boxwood layouts.(Wiki)

A fortified farm was erected at the site of Obermayerhofen in 1170. A Castle built for its protection, stood nearly but no dates are known about its existence. It’s owner in 1315 is Heinrich Mayerhofer, bishop of Gurk and dean of St. Stephans cathedral in Vienna. One of his descendants, Konrad sells the property to Knight Härtel of Teuffenbach in 1377.The illustrious Knights of Teuffenbach hold on to Obermayerhofen for almost 230 years, gradually extending their holdings and making Obermayerhofen into the centre of their vast estate. After Bernhard of Teuffenbachs’s death 1540 his four sons inherited equal shares, each one receiving a quarter store of the castle’s fourteen rooms and surrounding land.This led to incessant quarrelling between the brothers, until in 1552 the youngest, Servaz of Teuffenbach, bought out his older brothers and begins the renovate the castle.The work is finished in 1574.During the building works, Andrä one of Servaz of Teuffenbachs’s brothers accuses him of having stolen considerable quantities of building materials from him.In the course of one of their arguments, the Mayerhofen factor, Niklas Protonotzky is killed by Andrä’s son.Servaz vof Teuffenbach's second wife was Katharina von Herberstein. She died 1606 at the age of 64 and is buried in the chapel. The sepulchre is still in place.The Urbar of Obermayerhofen in 1636 describes the castle as being well-built in an exceptionally pleasant location and having attractive rooms.Of particular note were the newly restored chapel- which had been neglected by the Protestant Knights of Teuffenbach, the deep well with its flavoursome water, also its vast gardens including newly established kitchen – and herb gardens and parkland, all surrounded by a brick wall.Josef Graf Kottulinsky bought Schloss and landed property in 1777. He built a new farm, where, on the wall facing the courtyard his crest and that of his wife Elisabeth von Falkenhayn can be seen to this day.After 1848 years, Obermayerhofen was mainly used during the summer and autumn months.After the death of Ernestine Khuen-Belasi, née Kottulinsky, Obermayerhofen was left to her niece Maria, who in turn, left it to Emil Taulow in 1939.After the war, the Schloss was ransacked and badly damaged by occupation troops, and left to delay. Harald Kottulinsky bought back the ancestral Schloss in 1977 and in 1986 established the luxurious hotel. His wife, Brigitte Kottulinsky has been running it since 1991 and extended the park by 140.000m² in 1999.(heiraten-im-schloss.info)

The castle was founded around 1080 by Hartnidus of Ort, and improvements continued to be made into the thirteenth century - for example by Hartnidus V in 1244. In 1344 the brothers Friedrich and Reinprecht I of Wallsee purchased the castle, which became Friedrich’s sole possession on January 25, 1350. The castle remained in the possession of the Wallsee family until 1483, when Schloss Ort passed to Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor.From 1484 to 1491, the castle was governed by Gotthard von Starhenberg, the Governor of Upper Austria. In 1492, Bernhard of Starhenberg and later his descendants ruled the castle until 1584. In 1588, the castle was purchased by Weikhard Freiherr of Pollheim, but he sold the castle on April 6, 1595 to the city of Gmunden. However, Gmunden sold the castle to Rudolf II that same year. The castle then passed to other owners before finally being acquired by Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor.In 1876, the castle was acquired by Archduke John Salvator of Austria (John of Tuscany) (1852-ca. 1911), but on October 6, 1889, he renounced his title and connections to the Habsburg imperial house and changed his name to Johann Orth, the tenth and last child of Grand Duke Leopold II of Tuscany and Maria Antonietta of the Two Sicilies departing for South America in 1890 with his morganatic wife on his own ship, the St. Margaret.[1] Johann Nepomuk Salvator was presumed lost at sea in 1890, and declared dead in 1911, but his actual date of death is unknownThe castle was acquired by Franz Joseph I of Austria in 1914, and it was intended for students of Gmunden’s schools to be allowed to visit the castle, but this plan was interrupted by World War I.The castle was not well maintained between 1919 and 1973.At present the castle is being used for study center of the Federal Ministry for Land and Forestry (Bundesministeriums für Land- und Forstwirtschaft). On January 5, 1995, the castle was officially acquired by the city of Gmunden. (Wiki)

The former water castle was rebuilt into baroque style by the design of Domencio Carlone between 1660 and 1667. The interior decorating was made by some famous Italian masters like Thadeo Piro, Carpoforo Tencalla fresco master, Giovanni Catello and Giovanni Piazoll builder. In 1683 during the Turkish invasion towards Vienna fire destroyed the building and it had to be rennovated. The indoor baroque rooms have fantastic decorations.Several films were made here for example The Three Musketeers by Charlie Sheen, Chris O’Donnell and Kiefer Sutherland.

Schloss Porcia (Porcia Castle) is a castle in Spittal an der Drau, in the Austrian state of Carinthia. It is one of the most significant Renaissance buildings in Austria.Construction of the edifice began in 1533 by Count Gabriel von Salamanca-Ortenburg (1489–1539), treasurer of the Habsburg archduke Ferdinand I of Austria. Originally from Burgos in Habsburg Spain, Salamanca in 1524 for his services had received the County of Ortenburg in the Imperial Duchy of Carinthia. The Ortenburg dynasty had become extinct in 1418 and since their ancestral seat Ortenburg Castle did not meet Salamanca's standards, he commissioned the design of his new comital residence in Spittal to Italian architects. However he never lived here, as the construction in a palazzo style continued until 1598.Schloss Porcia, engraving, 1688.After the Salamanca dynasty had become extinct in 1620, the patrician Widmann family acquired their estates and in 1662 assigned the castle to Prince John Ferdinand of Porcia, at this time minister and confidant of the Habsburg emperor Leopold I. His descendants added Baroque elements to the façade in the 18th century, while the adjacent park was laid out in the 19th century.Not until 1918 did the Porcia family sell the castle, which in 1951 became a property of the Spittal municipality. The famous arcaded courtyard houses several Lombard-Italian sculptures and serves as a venue for the annual Komödienspiele Porcia festival. Furthermore the castle houses a museum for local history and is the site of several concerts and chorus recitals.

Porcia Castle is notorious for the ghost of the White Lady Katharina of Salamanca, who is said to be guilty of remorselessness towards her subjects and cursed to haunt the rooms of the castle. (Wiki)

Acquisition of the Castle of Riegersburg by the imperial Count Sigismund Friedrich Khevenhüller in 1730. by Ernst Dieter PetritschLike many other castles, the fortress of Riegersburg, already mentionned in documents in 1427, had during the course of the centuries, an adventurous life. The Imperial Count Sigmund von Hardegg (1539-1599) bought the fortress in 1568 from the Lords of Eitzingen who owned it since already 1441. On the foundations of the fortress he let built a castle with pillars on moulds and he settled there not only his residence but also the administration center of the County of Hardegg. But Sigmund´s son, Johann Wilhelm von Hardegg incurred in so many debts in buying some properties which had themselves further debts, so that when he died on 1635 bancrupcy was eclared on his succession.In order to finalize the negociations with the creditors, the heir, Count Julius von Hardegg (1594-1684) after long discussions, signed with them an agreement and paid all the debts. To be able to do it, he sold the County of Hardegg and Riegersburg. The new owners were theCounts of Saint Julien Wallsee, who were in those days still under age. Their father Henri Guyard, Comte de Saint Julien (1590-1642) was married with the sister of the above mentioned Count Julius von Hardegg, Sidonia Elisabeth (1619-1651). For religious reasons heemigrated in previous days from France and entered into the imperial army service first as a treasurer and ventually as „Hofkriegsrath“ (Imperial Counsellor of the Army). After he had bought the the Estate of Niederwalisee, he and his descendents were created Imperial Counts of Wallsee. Henri, grandson of Johann Julius de Saint Julien Wallsee (1702-1783) inherited at the death of his father (1728) of the County of Hardegg, first together with his brother Johann Leopold, and became full owner only beginning of 1730.But already the 1st august of the same year he sold the County with all ist estates to CountSigismund von Khevenhüller.Sigismund Friedrich von Khevenhüller (17.9. 1666 -8.12. 1742) made a brilliant career as a civil servant: in 1694 he became Counsellor of State in the Regional Austrian Government in Graz, from 1698 to 1711 Governor of the Carinthian Province, in 1701 Imperial Counsellor and from 1711 onwards, Governor of the Province of Lower Austria and President of the Austrian Council. In 1721 he was made Knight of the Golden Fleece and short after Minister of the State Council. But the highest reward was for sure the title of Imperial Count which was granted to him and his descendants in 1725. The 1st of august 1730, Count von Khevenhüller signed in Vienna a purchasing act fort he County of Hardegg with the estates of Riegersburg, Prutzendorf, Untermixnitz and Obermixnitz. Together with his son, Count Johann Joseph von Khevenhüller (who had also signed the purchasing act) he left already on 5th of august from Vienna „ to go to get acquainted with the „possessions“ bought from H.E. the Count Julius von Saint Julien and to take possession of the County of Hardegg on the Thaya river with its estates of Riegersburg and Prutzendorf at seven stage-coach stations from Horn….and for the fidelity swearing ceremony of the subjects“ In those days the castle of Riegersburg was mainly in bad conditions and could not be lived in. Therefore big restoration works had to be done rapidly. They lasted for many years and were done after the plans of the landscape architect Franz Anton Pilgram (1699-1761), a scholar of Lukas von Hildebrandt, originarilly from Lower-Austria. And so the ancient castle of Riegersburg got his splendid shape still existing now-a-days, of an impressive Baroque Palace. (riegersburg-hardegg.com)

Rohrau Castle, an architectural gem, is situated a few miles east of Vienna and houses one of the most famous private collections in Austria. In 1524 the “Veste Rohrau” became the property of the Harrach family, who converted it into one of the most beautiful country castles of Austria. Serving as the residence of the Harrach family until 1945, the castle was vandalized in the early post-war period, but later on restored with loving care. Since 1970, it has accommodated the Harrach’s private gallery, compiled by members of this distinguished family over the past centuries.(schloss-rohrau.at)

The world of Freemasonic symbols in one of the most beautiful Baroque castles in the Waldviertel. The stairway decorated with artistic and masonically interesting frescoes leads to the magnifi cent rooms on the fi rst fl oor where the Austrian Museum of Freemasony is located. This is run by the Rosenau Castle Museum Association and the Grand Lodge of Austria, the latter also arranging regular special exhibitions on Masonic themes. The fi rst rooms lead the visitor into the centre of Masonic thought and work, from “know yourself” to “control – and ennoble yourself” - at the time of the “operative masons” and the cathedral masons’ guilds, where one can also see the famous “window gazer”, the portrait of Masterbuilder Pilgram from St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Beginning with the “dark chamber” in which candidates wait for their initiation, the visitor Fascinating insights intothe history of Austrian and European Freemasonry and its present-day position: Rosenau Castle, the family seat of the Counts Schallaburg, in the Waldviertel, which is so rich in secrets, lies near the town of Zwettl. Hidden in Rosenau Castle, built at the end of the 16th century and later remodelled in Baroque style by Count Leopold Christoph Schallaburg, was an early Freemasons’ Lodge, completely unchanged and maintained in its original form by the later inhabitants of the castle (e.g. Georg Ritter von Schönerer). During the renovation work in the seventies of the last century “strange” and at fi rst inexplicable symbols and wall paintings were discovered. However, several Masons who were also art enthusiasts were able to determine the origin and true use of these rooms and identify them as an 18th century “Lodge.(www.freimaurermuseum.at)

The first record of Rosenegg dates back to 1187. Since then the Schloss Rosenegg has had to withstand many threats and has participated in and formed a lively history.

Centuries and generations have passed and left their mark. Famous people have been guests at the hotel such as the Grand Duchesse Margarethe Maultasch or Napoleon. The Rosenberg barons reigned from 155 to 1760 and where in constant contact with Nostradamus, their good friend. Many letters still remain today.

The Baron created the Pillersee Iron and Steel Works which contributed significantly to the development of Fieberbrunn. The 'German Sword' and the entire Habsburg lance weapons collection were produced iron the Pillersee Valley. After religious troubles between Catholics and Protestants, the Rosenbergs fled the country. In 1938 the castle was converted into a hotel and has been in the hand of the Eberhardt family for 3 generations. (schlosshotel-rosenegg.com)

The Renaissance castle of Rosenburg with its medieval core, splendid Renaissance arcades, numerous towers and impressive courtyard is considered to be the perfect example of a fortification having gradually evolved over the course of the centuries. The castle is picturesquely situated on a rock high above the River Kamp and is amongst the most visited attractions in Lower Austria.The first castle on the site was erected in the 12th century, the first written record dates back to 1175. In the base of the current castle, the second inner court, some of the foundations are still preserved from this period. During the 15th century it was significant extended under the rule of Count Caspar von Rogendorf and was stylistically adapted to Gothic style. Dating back to this period is the still preserved chapel and some of the outer walls. After several changes of ownership landlord Sebastian Grabner got hold of the castle. By his order most of the Gothic parts were demolished between 1593 and 1597 and were rebuilt in Renaissance style. The ensemble as you can visit today mainly dates back from this period. In 1614 another important part was added, a tournament grounds fenced with 46 arcades. This tournament grounds is the largest of its kind in Europe.

While Grabner was a protestant, the Counter Reformation caused another change in landlords. 1611 Cardinal von Dietrichstein, a catholic leader, was in charge of castle Rosenburg. This did not please the local Protestants that had formed the “Horner Bund” (“Horner Union”, related to the town of Horn nearby). This lead to another change of ownership, the protestant Nobles took over the castle in 1620.

1681 is a landmark date within the history of castle Rosenburg. Again a change of landlords had maneuvered it into the possession of the House of Sprinzenstein. In that year, Count Leopold Graf Hoyos married Countess Regina von Sprinzenstein, the two dynasties merged and were onwards called “von Hoyos-Sprinzenstein”. Since that year the castle remained under the ownership of the Hoyos family until today.

In 1800 a disastrous fire destroyed parts of the castle and it was barely used after this stroke for some 60 years. Count Ernst Carl von Hoyos-Sprinzenstein rebuilt it in 1860 with passion and under great personal sacrifice. Since then the castle was constantly maintained and renovated.

Part of the daily life in the Renaissance was hunting, especially with falcons. Following this ancient tradition the falconers show different kinds of birds of prey in a daily performance including free flights of the birds. Every first weekend and on bank holidays special shows including falcons, horses, hunting dogs and live medieval music are performed. Visitors interested to learn more about birds of prey can book a Falcon Day and join the falconers a whole day long and observe the fascinating birds as close as possible.

GardensToday castle Rosenburg is most famous for its gardens. Starting in the tournament grounds a 100 m long wall of roses and old bushes of wild roses will delight not only botanic lovers. The old romantic rose garden shows the gardening tradition of Continental Europe joining roses with other plants and grasses within a Renaissance inspired garden architecture.

The water-lily pond is the centre of the herbal garden. Different herbs and spices are nursed here finding their way into the kitchen of the nearby Tavern. Strong focus is put on regional plants with tradition and heritage.Since 2012 the new David Austin show garden gives an overview of almost 120 different kinds of roses bread by grower-legend David Austin. Austin roses are unique for their romantic look and their beautiful scent. Extraordinary and most remarkable are the different species of Rumbler roses growing up to a height of 10 meters and blooming in cascades of blossoms. (rosenburg.at)

Rosegg Castle has been owned by the Liechtenstein Family since 1831. Prince Johannes von Liechtenstein procured the castle from Peter Ritter von Bohr for one of his sons. The castle was inhabited until the 1970’s, subsequently remaining uninhabited until 1995, but now serving again as a residence since 1997. Visitors can visit Austria’s first “Cabinet of Figures” with its life-size models! Exhibitions by contemporary artists can also be viewed here, while this is also a venue for an array of summer events, concerts, theatrical performances and a small castle café. (woerthersee.com) The castle is near the zoo.

Reichenau castle was first mentioned in a 1256 deed. Duke Otto IV the Merry, who in 1327 had established the abbey of Neuberg, acquired Reichenau in 1333 and granted it to the monastery.

(Original an ore mining and forestry area, Reichenau due to its picturesque setting became a summer resort of the Viennese nobility in the 19th century. From 1854 on the development of the area was decisively promoted by the opening of the Semmering railway line with a train station in neighbouring Payerbach, part of the Austrian Southern Railway (Südbahn) from the Vienna Südbahnhof to Trieste. Reichenau was directly connected to Payerbach by the Höllentalbahn narrow gauge railway in 1926 at the same time with the opening of the Raxseilbahn, the oldest aerial tramway in Austria.)

Hinterleiten Palace

In 1872 Archduke Charles Louis of Austria had the Villa Wartholz residence erected near his favourite hunting grounds, according to plans by Heinrich von Ferstel. In 1889 Nathaniel Anselm von Rothschild followed with the building of Hinterleiten Palace. He however did not spend much time in Reichenau and shortly afterwards donated the palais to a veterans foundation, while the Villa Wartholz remained a seat of the Habsburg family, especially of Charles and his wife Zita; their first son, Otto, was born and baptized there, and when Charles become Emperor of Austria, Villa Wartholz was his summer residence in the years 1917 and 1918.Reichenau was also the summer retreat of the author Heimito von Doderer, where he wrote large parts of his novel Die Strudlhofstiege. (Wikipedia)

The first document was written about the castle in 1282. In 1530 Niclas Cologne Beck Steyr bought it then during the Count Salbergs periodthe building was expanded from 1618. The Salbergs began to evolve it as a real mansion style. The originally renaissance building was destroyed during the two big world wars. Currently the Federal Heritage Office and Cultural Ministry organization the owner of the castle in province of Lower-Austria. The chapel can be rented out for family occations. There is a 33 hectare of zoo in the castle’s park which has 80 animal species of 800 specimens from 5 continents.

Schönbrunn Palace (German: Schloss Schönbrunn ) is a former imperial summer residence located in modern Vienna, Austria. The 1,441-room Rococo palace is one of the most important architectural, cultural and historical monuments in the country. Since 1960s it has been a major tourist attraction. The history of the palace and its vast gardens spans over 300 years, reflecting the changing tastes, interests, and aspirations of successive Habsburg monarchs.

In the year 1569, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II purchased a large floodplain of the Wien river beneath a hill, situated between Meidling and Hietzing, where a former owner, in 1548, had erected a mansion called Katterburg. The emperor ordered the area to be fenced and put game there such as pheasants, ducks, deer and boar, in order to serve as the court's recreational hunting ground. In a small separate part of the area, "exotic" birds such as turkeys and peafowl were kept. Fishponds were built, too.

The name Schönbrunn (meaning "beautiful spring"), has its roots in an artesian well from which water was consumed by the court.

During the next century, the area was used as a hunting and recreation ground. Especially Eleonora Gonzaga, who loved hunting, spent much time there and was bequeathed the area as her widow's residence after the death of her husband, Ferdinand II. From 1638 to 1643, she added a palace to the Katterburg mansion, while in 1642 came the first mention of the name "Schönbrunn" on an invoice. The origins of the Schönbrunn orangery seem to go back to Eleonora Gonzaga as well. The Schönbrunn Palace in its present form was built and remodelled in 1740—50s during the reign of empress Maria Theresa who received the estate as a wedding gift. Franz I commissioned the redecoration of the palace exterior in neoclassical style as it appears today.

Franz Joseph, the longest-reigning emperor of Austria, spent his last years in the Schönbrunn Palace and died there, at the age of 86, on 21 November 1916. Following the downfall of the Habsburg monarchy in 1918, the palace became the property of newly founded Austrian Republic and was preserved as a museum.

After World War II and during the Allied Occupation of Austria (1945—55) Schönbrunn Palace, which was empty at the time, was requisitioned to provide offices for both the British Delegation to the Allied Commission for Austria and for the Headquarters for the small British Military Garrison present in Vienna. Later it was used for important events such as the meeting between U.S. president John F. Kennedy and Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev in 1961.Since 1992 the palace and gardens are owned and administered by the Schloss Schönbrunn Kultur- und Betriebsges.m.b.H., a limited-liability company wholly owned by the Republic of Austria. The company conducts preservation and restoration of all palace properties without state subsidies.[3] UNESCO catalogued Schönbrunn Palace on the World Heritage List in 1996, together with its gardens, as a remarkable Baroque ensemble and example of synthesis of the arts (Gesamtkunstwerk).(Wikipedia)

Schloss Seggau is a castle situated in the locality Seggauberg in southern Styria, Austria. It is located on a wooded hill overlooking the town of Leibnitz. Schloss Seggau is situated at an height of 344 meters. The area around Schloss Seggau has been settled since at least the Roman era, as demonstrated by the impressive lapidarium which has survived from that period. The upper castle was built by the Archbishopric of Salzburg in the twelfth century as a base for missions and supervision and this original structure was expanded in 1218 by the bishops of Seckau. Over time, a total of three castles were built: Burg Leibnitz (belonging to the Archbishopric of Salzburg), the castle of the bishops of Seckau, and Schloss Polheim. The castles were completed in their present form under Bishop Johann Ernst, Count of Thun, in the latter half of the seventeenth century. Schloss Seggau was the residence of the bishops until 1786, after which it remained their summer residence until into the twentieth century.Schloss Seggau now serves as a site for seminars and conferences with a hotel and a "Schloss Cafe". The wine cellar is over three hundred years old and offers the opportunity for wine tastings and sales.

The caste was built in 1500’s. In 1631 the building burned down but it was rebuilt again. The patio has a 4 storey of renaissance archway. The castle has been under a restoration work since 2007 and the purpose to open a new place for events.

The castle from the 1300’s period is a beer spa and beer museum. The guests not just drinking but they can have a nice beer bath too. The owners converted the old unnecessary zymotic pools for 7 pieces of 13 meters big beer pools which can be used by the visitors.

Schloss Stainz is a former monastery of the Augustinian Canons in Stainz in Styria, Austria. Today the Baroque complex belongs to the Counts of Meran and hosts two museum collections from the Universal Museum Joanneum.Stainz Priory (German: Stift Stainz) was a monastery founded by the Augustinian Canons in 1229 when Leutold I von Wildon, lord of the manor of Stainz, allowed a small church with a monastery attached to be established on the mountain where his castle stood. The monastery was settled by canons regular from Seckau Priory.The priory experienced its heyday during the early 16th century under provost Jakob Roselenz (1596-1629), under whom the community was reorganised and the church, previously neglected, was enlarged. The interior was later refurbished in the Baroque style with extensive stucco decoration. The church organ counts among the largest and most melodious in Styria and was restored in 1980.The monastery was dissolved in 1785 as part of the rationalist reforms of the Emperor Joseph II. The church however remained in use.In 1840 Archduke Johann, son of Leopold II and an avid hunter, purchased the building complex from the town for the sum of 40,000 guilders for use as a hunting box, known thereafter as Schloss Stainz. Since his death in 1859, it has remained in the family estate of his descendants, the Counts of Meran.Today, besides offering gardens and rooms to rent for engagements, the castle houses two collections from the Universal Museum Joanneum. On 16 September 2006 the Steirisches Jagdmuseum ("Styrian Hunting Museum") was opened. The interdisciplinary approach of this collection combines contemporary technology with historic equipment, weapons and specimens to explore the historical, sociological and anthropological, as well as the philosophical and ethical phenomena of the human practice of hunting in addition to wildlife ecology.

In 2009 the Landwirtschaftsmuseum Schloss Stainz ("Museum of Agriculture and Forestry") also opened, displaying collections of rural Styrian folk culture. The main focus of the exhibition is on the agricultural implements and the household effects of the Styrian countryside from the Stone Age to the present. The exhibition displays objects related to the different branches of agriculture and husbandry and offers a fitting companion to the Hunting Museum.

In addition to the two permanent exhibitions of the Joanneum, areas of the castle, for example the courtyard, the cellar, the arcades and the terrace, are also rented out for private events.(Wikipédia)

The castle was built by the mercenary leader Ulrich Pressnitzer. In 1607 the Batthyány family rebuilt it for baroque style.It was the favorite summer residence of Count Lajos Batthyányi prime minister of Hungary. During the period of 1618-48 religion war it was a protestans centre. After the II world war it was renovated. Since 1998 the Naturalpark of Rába has been the owner of the castle. It had a general renovation work between 2002-2003. Currently it is used as a gallery and a theatre.

The villa or castle is located in the 11 hectares of park by the lake Traun. The building is influenced by style of rococo,classicist and art nouveau.The most remarkable pieces are the big atrium hall, the statue of Pompa, the coffered ceiling and the former library in the East side. The walls are decorated by Frisian paintings from the Viennese painter Christian Griepenkerf. Presently it is a café with a beautiful view to the lake.

Documented for the first time in the 13th century the Castle Tratzberg was used as former border stronghold against the Bavarians and as Emperor Maximilian’s I hunting lodge. In the late 15th century the former fortress was destroyed by fire.

The Emperor did not rebuild Tratzberg but exchanged the ruin for a castle of the Taenzels, wealthy owners of a silver mine. They had built the first late Gothic part of today’s Castle Tratzberg in 1500, in a particularly magnificent way, with artful ornaments made of marble, wood and iron.

In 1554, Georg Knight of Ilsung, a wealthy merchant from Augsburg, acquired the castle, expanded and changed Tratzberg according to the spirit of the Renaissance age. Proof of those changes is the splendidly painted courtyard and exquisite Renaissance parlours.In 1590 Tratzberg came into the possession of the Fuggers, a well-known and wealthy family of merchants, who expanded the castle even further. Most of the now conserved inventory is from this time.After several changes of owners there was a time when Tratzberg was uninhabited for 150 years. When Franz Count Enzenberg married Ottilie Countess Tannenberg in 1847, the rather neglected castle came into the possession of the Enzenberg family, and it has stayed their homestead since then.Thanks to the family’s dedication and efforts the 6800 sqm castle with its 5000 sqm shingle roof became a gem of a 16th century Tyrolean castle again. It is now one of the most important cultural monuments of the country and open to the public.(schloss-tratzberg.a)

The todays castle is used be a medieval Water Castle which was surrounded by the waters of Pinka and it was destroyed around 1540. Instead of the ruin Erdődy built an old mansion here in the 17th century which was demolished in 1810.Firstly Count Istvan Erdődy commisioned the big architect Miklos Ybl to design a new castle but he didn’t adobted it. Finally it was rebuilt by the design of Antal Weber in Byzantine-Moorish style between 1862-1864. The castle has been owned by the provence since this time.

A first castle at Weitra was established in 1201 by the Austrian noble Hadmar II of Kuenring (or Kühnring), holder of Dürnstein castle, where King Richard the Lionheart had been imprisoned in winter 1192/93. The Kuenring family of ministeriales fell from grace after the extinction of the ruling House of Babenberg in 1246, as they had sided with King Ottokar II of Bohemia against the rising Habsburg dynasty. Ottokar II was defeated by the Habsburg king Rudolph I of Germany at the 1278 Battle on the Marchfeld, and Rudolph's son, Duke Albert I of Austria, finally acquired Weitra Castle in 1296. The fortress on the Bohemian border was seized by the Hussites as well as by Hungarian troops under Matthias Corvinus in 1486.

In 1581, Emperor Rudolf II enfeoffed Weitra to his chamberlain Wolf Rumpf. In 1607, Count Frederick IV of Fürstenberg-Heiligenberg, who had married Rumpf's widow, inherited the fief. During the Thirty Years' War, the castle was again attacked by Swedish forces under General Lennart Torstenson in 1645. The comital (from 1664 princely) House of House of Fürstenberg held Weitra until the Revolutions of 1848. The members of the Fürstenberg-Weitra cadet branch left a Renaissance castle erected on mediæval foundations, which was later rebuilt in a Baroque design. The castle was restored by the House of Fürstenberg in 1994.

Beside its historic textile industry, Weitra is known as the oldest beer-producing site in Austria with several breweries documented since the 14th century. In 1903, the town received access to a narrow gauge railway line to Gmünd, since 2001 run as a heritage railway. After World War II, the economy suffered from the town's peripheral location near the Iron Curtain. Since 1959, Weitra houses a garrison of the Austrian Armed Forces.( Wiki)

The castle possibly was built in the 13th century. Between 1770 and 1840 the Count Wolkenstein family was the owners. In 1602 the little gothic church was reconsecrated then in the 20th century it was renovated. We can see the bridge Trisana in front of the castle.The building is not opened for the public.

The area of Wolfsberg belonged to the estates within the medieval Duchy of Carinthia that were ceded to the Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg, probably already by Emperor Henry II in 1007. The castle above the town was first mentioned as Wolfsperch in an 1178 deed of St. Paul's Abbey in the Lavanttal. The adjacent settlement became the administrative centre of Bamberg's Carinthian territories and in 1331 received town privileges by Prince-Bishop Werntho Schenk von Reicheneck.

During the Protestant Reformation the Bayerhofen Castle residence, first mentioned in 1239 and rebuilt in the 16th century, became a centre of Lutheranism, which nevertheless was suppressed by the Counter-Reformation. In 1759 the Habsburg empress Maria Theresa acquired all Bamberg lands in Carinthia. Wolfsberg Castle was purchased by Count Hugo Henckel von Donnersmarck in 1846 and rebuilt in a Tudorbethan style.

In World War II the village of Priel south of the town centre was the site of the Stalag XVIII-A prisoner-of-war camp with about 7,000 inmates. After the war it served as a detention camp run by the British occupation forces. (Wikipedia)

Wolfsberg Castle (Schloss Wolfsberg) was first mentioned in a document in 1178, being referred to as “wolfsperch” castle. Today it is owned by Kärntner Montanindustrie GmbH and is lived in by the Henckel von Donnersmarck family. The historic building looks back on a vibrant past. It has been renovated in recent years, particular attention being paid to “reviving the original elegance of the premises”.

The castle is a well-known cultural and events facility in Carinthia and beyond, boasting splendid rooms that hark back to ages long past. It has called into being a wide range of cultural events which attract guests from near and far to Wolfsberg. The offerings include the “Concerts à la Carte” open-air festival with performances by world-famous artists.The castle’s functions rooms can also be hired for seminars, conferences, balls, Christmas celebrations and the like. The old castle chapel lends itself ideally to weddings. Guided tours are possible by prior arrangement. A café opens at the castle during the summer months.(wolfsberg.at)